Ayame's New Assistant
by Nekosgonya
Summary: When a seventeen year old girl named Himawari Samuels moves from New York to Japan to live with her aunt, she needs to find a job and school to attend. What will happen when she starts to work with Mine at Ayame's shop and attend Kaibara high? Ch 9 up!
1. How to Start a New Life

Disclaimer: If I owned Fruits Basket, Kyou would have landed a nice punch across Yuki's face by now. Is the rat's princely face bruised? Don't think so.

A/N: Hola people! I've written plenty of fanfics here and there before, just never decided to post one. I grew tired of all the "Hi guys! I'm the zebra from the zodiac! But it's okay! We can still hug!" stories, and so came up with this. Hope you enjoy!

OoOoO

Prologue: How to Start a New Life

"Well, this appears to be it," the girl said to herself, glancing between the sign in front of her reading 'Trust comes first; Ayame; Value from the heart' and the crumpled slip of paper in her hands.

Himawari Samuels had recently moved to her aunt's house in Japan from her dad's house in New York. Once settled, her aunt sent her into town to find a part time job while she visited the nearest high school to enroll her in. The teenage girl had very little luck, until finding a business card thrown to the pavement by an angered red-head the previous day. The design had intrigued her, and Himawari soon found herself calling the number listed. She was greeted by the sweet voice of a lady by the name of Mine Kuramae. Mine had insisted that Himawari visit the next day, at the time that the girl was now standing in front of the shop.

"It looks…cute I guess," Himawari continued talking to herself, unsure of how to describe the small building in front of her. She made her way closer to the door, her heart starting to pump faster as she held her hand out for the knob. This was it!

Except….there was no doorknob. It took the poor, nervously wrecked girl to realize that she was in Japan. The door in front of her was, indeed, a paper door. Himawari retrieved her hand and wiped the sweaty palm on her jeans before opening the door.

The sound of the door made a small 'whoosh' while opening and then closing behind Himawari as she entered. She stood in the doorway, taking in the sights of the store she would soon be working at. There were shelves of all different fabrics to her left, baskets filled with accessories on shelves to her right, different types of dresses hanging…the store was incredible! Himawari couldn't help but let a small gasp escape her lips.

"Samuels Himawari? Is that you?" a voice from further within the store came. Himawari took a minute to register the Japanese spoken to her, and instantly recognized the voice as the woman from yesterday.

"H-hai! That would be me!" Himawari replied with a shaking voice, trying desperately to sound more confident.

The clicking sounds of heels on hardwood echoed through the currently empty and soundless shop, revealing a woman of something in her twenties. She had thick, dark brunette braids on either side of her head, a pair of glasses on her slender face, and wore a rather frilly maids dress.

'I wonder if I'll have to wear that too…' Himawari thought to herself, trying to decide whether the idea appealed to her or not.

The woman's smiling face was a warm welcome into the shop, until she laid a good eye on Himawari. The sweet smile twisted into an evil grin as her eyes seemed to light up.

"Why you're pretty cute…" she stated and made her way towards Himawari's side to check out the girl. "Long blonde hair, chocolate eyes, small figure, and cute little bust!"

Himawari's face paled, uncertain of what was going on. "Um…Kuramae-san?" she squeaked out.

Mine shook her head a little bit, and giggled to the girl. "Gomen! It's a bad habit…" she apologized, but didn't press the subject further. Himawari decided it would probably be best to ask about it later.

"Anyways," Mine continued, "Welcome to the shop! What do you think of it?"

The blonde's eyes drifted over the store again before returning a smile to Mine. "It's amazing! But I'm starting to think…am I really going to be of help? I don't really know a lot about fashion, or making clothes."

Mine put a thought hand to her chin. "Yes, your English resume showed that," she stated before lowering her hand and taking Himawari's in her own, "But don't worry about it! You'll learn all you need to know. Your previous bosses all said that you were always striving to try something new, so you'll fit right in!"

Himawari was a bit embarrassed about the fact that Mine had grasped her sweaty hand, but kept quiet about it and nodded instead. "Yes, I'll try it," she agreed. "But I must ask…Sohma Ayame is the owner, ne? Where is he?"

"He's visiting his brother today, so the shop is closed," Kuramae replied as she let go of Himawari's hand, quite positive that the girl wouldn't run away if she did so. "But that worked out nicely, so I can show you around the store in the privacy of us two women! Now would you like to start the tour?"

Taking a deep breath, Himawari nodded once again. "Yes, I'm ready."

And so, the new life of Himawari Samuels began.

OoOoO

A/N: That was a bit shorter than I thought it would be…. Oh well.

I know that Himawari is sort of acting like Tohru Honda in a way, but that was unintentional. I based the character off of the meaning of a type B blood type to Japan. It said that they were "easily excited, always looking for something new, optimistic…" and the such.

So that's the prologue. Reviews are welcome and flames will be used to roast my marshmallows!


	2. How to Behave on the First Day of School

Disclaimer: I own Furuba mangas, anime disks, and fanfare stuff….just not Furuba. So don't bother trying to sue me, it won't do any good.

A/N: Hello again! I decided that the story probably needed a chapter. I actually have up to chapter three typed right now, but depending on how it does, I'll wait a bit befor adding the others. So without further ado, here we go!

OoOoO

Chapter One: How to Behave on the First Day of School

"Himawari-chan!"

"…"

"Himawari-chan..."

"…"

"HIMAWARI-CHAN!"

The sleeping teen awoke with feeling of fear running through her veins, and fell to the floor with a thump. The footsteps of her aunt could be heard arriving closer until the bedroom door swung open.

"Time to get up sleepy head," the woman smiled, her voice down to a normal pitch and in its usual sweet tone.

"Yes….Shima oba-san…" Himawari yawned. She stretched her arms up in a slow manner, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Her aunt flashed a happy grin to her niece, excited about taking care of a growing girl after so many years since her own daughter had grown up and left the house. "Can you be ready in thirty minutes dear?" she asked.

"Thirty minutes? Why such a short time?" the teen asked, finally getting of the ground and heading towards her closet where her new uniform hung.

"Because that's when school starts!" Shima answered merrily.

The tired mind of Himawari took a few moments to comprehend what was said. The hanger that was in her hand dropped to the floor as her eyes bulged.

"WHAT?!?!"

Taken back by the sudden outburst, the older woman fell a few steps back. "Don't worry sweety! I can drive you to school today!"

"But thirty minutes?!?" Himawari panicked. "I still need to eat breakfast! And wash my face and-"

While she had been blurting her morning ritual out, the girl had started to run towards to door way, only to collide with the door and fall to her butt.

"So thirty minutes it is!" the aunt agreed for her niece.

-.-

Apparently, school really wasn't supposed to start for another hour. Himawari needed to get to the school early to retrieve all of her papers from the main office and turn in her forms. The half an hour was extremely boring and felt more like a couple of hours, but was not nearly as tiring as the entrance exam had been a few days previous.

After everything had been settled, Himawari took it upon herself to use a map printed on a half a sheet of paper to navigate her way to her homeroom. "Class 2A, class 2A…this print is awfully small…" the girl spoke to herself with a small frown forming on her full lips. If anyone had seen her face, it would have probably looked more like a pout than a frown.

"Okay, take a left here…"

Paying more attention to the map than the actual route, Himawari just barely dodged walking into a wall. She did not, however, avoid confrontation with a frantic brunette.

Both girls fell to the ground. One was wondering if she was going to crash into anything else that day, the other pondering why there was another girl out of class, and both confused as to what had happened.

"Oh...I'm sorry. I need to pay more attention to where I'm going next time," Himawari apologized, bowing as soon as she got up.

"N-no! It's not your fault! I'm really clumsy is all. I was so worried about finding Yu-…my pet mouse that I didn't see you!" the other girl insisted, bowing at least five times as she spoke.

Himawari blinked a few times, taken aback by the girl's attitude, than started to giggle. "Then I guess it's both of our fault then," she decided. "But um…why did you bring your pet mouse to school?"

The brunette paused, as if looking for an excuse. "Oh…well, he somehow made his way into my bag when I was leaving! And…I saw him escaping down the hallway when I got into class, and so I don't know where he is now…" she explained.

'This girl is rather weird," Himawari thought to herself, but nodded. "I see. I would help you, but I need to find class 2A first…"

"That's my homeroom! The other girl replied happily. "Wait…you're not the new student from America, are you?!? I'm Honda Tohru, nice to meet you!"

Tohru proceeded to bow once more, and Himawari gave the gesture back. "Yes, that would be me. Samuels Himawari."

"Samuels-san. A pleasure to meet you."

The words had not come from Tohru's lips, but from behind Himawari's back. The blonde turned around to see a silver-haired boy walking towards her and Tohru while discreetly messing with his tie.

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru greeted the boy. "Samuels-san, this is Sohma Yuki. He's a friend of mine and very kind!"

The name 'Sohma' struck a chord in Himawari. Her eyes widened and her grip on the map loosened so that the paper flew gracefully to the floor.

"Sohma-san…are you in any way related to Ayame-san?" she inquired.

Yuki seemed to be just as shocked as Himawari, but his face showed more confusion than surprise.

"Hai. But…how do you know Nii-san?" the nezumi asked.

Himawari smiled warmly. "I thought so! I just started working at Ayame-san's shop with Kuramae-san!"

As Yuki's face nearly dropped of his head, Tohru's face shined with joy. "Really Samuels-san? That's amazing!" she shrieked.

Yuki remained quiet, but nodded. After Tohru was finished questioning Himawari about how she received the job, what she thought about, and the like, Yuki finally asked, "Well, shouldn't we be getting back to class?"

"If you'd show the way please," Himawari replied, an embarrassed blush reddening her cheeks.

"Very well then, let us go."

And so, Himawari followed her two newest acquaintances to the classroom while being explained to the different activities that happened during the day or being shown specific parts of the school as they passed them. They arrived in at the classroom and opened the door just in time for a red-head to scream something about a damn rat, fly through the air, and land a nice side kick on poor Himawari's forehead. The force knocked her head into the doorway, and black quickly consumed her vision.

OoOoO

A/N: Ah, poor Himawari-chan! I abused her very much in this chapter. Well, that is the end of the first chapter.

Has anyone noticed something familiar about the title of my chapters?

Until next time.


	3. How to Apologise

Disclaimer: Who owns Fruits Basket? I d-! stares at the lawsuits …don't.

A/N: With two reviews and nearly fifty hits, I'm excited to bring this new chapter out! Hope everyone enjoys.

Himeoka Tsuki: Thank you so much! I'll definitely try my hardest.

Pigrider12: I've always wanted to see an OC have to react with Ayame, and so I thought, what better way than to have Ayame his or her boss? And here's your update!

Chapter Two: How to Apologize

"Excuse me Nurse-san, but when will she…?"

"…will be up soon."

"YOU'VE BEEN SAYING THAT FOR…!"

"…-kun! D-don't…!"

The sentences were coming in and out of focus for Himawari. Her conscious started to fine tune all of her senses. Soon enough, the blonde came to and opened her eyes.

She found herself lying down in a small, dark room on a small futon. The door to the room was open, revealing to her that she was in a separate room connected to what looked like the nurse's office. What was she doing here anyways? The girl tried to sit up. But just as soon as she was up, Himawari was back down on the futon thanks to a splitting headache. The memories of her morning of the first day of her new school started to poor in.

So that's why she wasn't in class. Himawari groaned and put hand delicately to her forehead.

The groan did not go unnoticed, however, for soon the light in her room switched on, and numerous people walked in.

Another mutter escaped Himawari's lips, something about how the lights were too bright and she'd prefer them off.

Once her eyes adjusted, the first person she saw she recognized. It was the apologetic girl from that morning, something Tohru…

The second person she recognized too. The other classmate of hers she had met that morning, Sohma Yuki.

Two girls were to the left of Tohru. One wore a long dark braid that was put over her shoulder and had a blank stare that gave the impression she knew more than she was letting on. The other was blonde with side bangs falling in her face, and a somewhat menacing yet caring expression.

And lastly, an orange-haired boy was in the back corner of the room. His arms were crossed and his maroon eyes looked towards the ground in what looked like anger, but was probably embarrassment.

A nurse with dark hair pulled back in a tight bun stood in the doorway. "See? She woke up. Now I'm going to call her parents." Her person than disappeared further into the actual office until out of sight.

"Samuels-san!" Tohru cried out in relief. "I was starting to think you would never wake up again…"

"Yes, our poor Tohru-chan almost had a heart attack…" the girl with the braid stated in a low, calm, and emotionless voice that seemed to fit her appearance perfectly.

"N…never? Wha…how…long?" Himawari managed to speak, her words a jumbled mess.

"It's about lunch time now," Yuki answered in his magical way of understanding her perfectly. He was, after all, used to the stutters of rabid girls in his presence. "Honda-san wouldn't leave here until you were awake, and so the five people in front of you have been skipping class."

Tohru blushed a bit, but nodded in agreement. The blonde laughed and hugged Tohru closer to her, talking about how cute the girl was when she felt guilty.

"Who…is everyone?" Himawari asked, her speaking starting to sound less hoarse.

"Oh! I forgot to introduce you to everyone!" Tohru exclaimed. "I'm sorry! Here…this Hanajima Saki or Hana-chan, this is Uotani Arisa or Uo-chan, and Sohma Kyou is the boy in the corner," she introduced, acknowledging each person in turn. In return, Saki had nodded, Arisa had smiled, and Kyou had refused to look up from the ground.

"Another Sohma? How peculiar…"

This particular statement caught the neko Sohma's attention, and Kyou's head picked up to show a face of confusion.

"Oh! The Sohma family is a big one. They even have their own estate!" Tohru explained happily.

"Yeah. It seems that the family is mostly guys too, because their taking over the school," Arisa added with a snicker.

Himawari merely nodded, letting all the information from the past few minutes sink in instead of asking for more she would never remember. She was able to sit up now, and dared herself to stand. It was wobbly at first and hands shot out to catch a falling body. They were turned down, however, for Himawari was able to support herself. She took a few steps to the wall so she was facing everyone and took a deep bow.

"I'm sorry for causing all of you to miss class," the girl apologized. "But…thank you."

"Tch, like we wanted to be in class…" Kyou finally spoke, causing everyone in the room to turn to him.

"Kyou-san…" Himawari gasped, surprised that the boy had finally spoken up. Kyou's eyes remained on the floor.

Before any other words could be exchanged, the nurse returned to the room.

"Samuels Himawari-san…your aunt is on the phone," she stated.

Everyone turned towards the blonde, confused as to why it was her aunt and not one of her parents. Himawari gave no answer to the unvoiced question, but did give another groan.

She knew exactly what to expect next.

-.-

"HIMAWARI-CHAN!!!" Shima screamed into the phone, causing her niece to cringe and hold the phone a few inches away from her ear. "I was so worried about you! They told me about your horrible accident! I shall rush to the school and beat that evil boy who could even think about injuring my poor-"

"Oba-san!" Himawari interrupted her. "I'm fine, really. Like you said, it was just an accident. Everything's fine."

"Oh, Himawari-chan! So noble!" her aunt sniffed. "I'm so proud to call you my niece!"

"Yes, I love you too Oba-san…" Himawari sighed.

"I'm going to call your boss and tell him that you can't make it to work today due to this terrible tragedy!" Shima decided on the spur of the moment, not bothering to ask if the younger girl was okay with it.

"But I'm fine!" Himawari insisted. "Besides, I was supposed to finally meet Sohma Ayame-san today…"

"No, you will not go to work today. You can meet this Sohma-san tomorrow!"

"But Oba-san…."

"Oh sweety, how am I supposed to care for you when you run away to work when you are in no condition to? You'll break my fragile heart if you deny me the right to at least act motherly towards my own niece…"

-.-

The guilt trip. It was a perfected art for Shima, and Himawari fell for it each time. The girl hung the phone up and lowered her head in a defeated fashion.

"Samuels-san!" Tohru called from the other room, walking up towards the girl. "Is everything okay?"

Himawari replied, "Hai. But I think it's time for us to leave the poor Nurse-san alone. Yuki-san said it was time for lunch, ne?"

Tohru smiled and nodded. "Yes! Let's go to lunch!"

A/N: And that's the end of the second chapter! Himawari has to refer to Yuki by his first name now since she met Kyou. It would be rather confusing after all….

Well, that's it for now!


	4. How to Find the Way Out

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Fruits Basket. I'm afraid though that not all wishes come true.

A/N: Well, this is the last chapter that I had previously typed up. I'm working on the forth chapter, so hopefully that one will be done soon too.

But thank you to all of my readers! You don't know how incredible I felt the day I found I had over a hundred hits!

**Neokstar**: The titles are actually similar to a series called Pita Ten, where each chapter is called a 'lesson'. I thought it was a cool idea, and so used it in my story.

**Pigrider12**: Thank you so much! If there's one thing that gets on my nerves, it's seeing characters that don't act like how the author intended. I'm glad to see that I've kept them in character!

**JulyPie**: I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one! And thank you.

**Friendly Legolas Sporker**: Happy to hear you like it! And without further ado, here is your update!

OoOoO

Chapter Three: How to Find the Way Out

The rest of the school day went without a problem, for Himawari was able to fit right in with Tohru and her friends. Arisa had taken a liking to her, Saki mentioned something about her having pleasant waves, Yuki treated her in his princely manner, and Kyou had ignored her completely. Himawari was worried that she had done something wrong to upset him, but Tohru had reassured her that he was only embarrassed for his earlier actions still. It would probably take him a day or two to get over it. Even after he did, he wouldn't be the most social guy in the world anyways.

Himawari had just finished placing a few of her new textbooks into her locker and closed the door. She needed to retrieve her street shoes and put away the shoes for school when she came to a fork in the hallway.

"Now let's see…is it right or left? Or maybe forward…ah! I don't remember!" the blonde panicked, realizing that the school seemed to be emptying fast and she'd be the only one left soon if she didn't hurry up.

Continuing to worry, Himawari was about to choose a random direction to follow when a person turned the corner and came into view. His face was dull, but he had a sort of calmness to him as he strolled down the hallway with his hands jabbed into his pockets and no backpack or school work on his person whatsoever.

But what really stuck out was his hair and eyes. His eyes were a light grey that reminded Himawari of the color of the sky during a light rainfall. And his hair! White on the top with black roots. It was so…bizarre. Yet extremely fascinating at the same time. It was surprising he was allowed to get away with it. He nonchalantly walked past her before she managed to say anything, too engrossed in watching him.

"E-excuse me!" Himawari called after him.

The boy stopped moving, and then turned around with the same blank expression.

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to know where the front door of the school is, would you?"

"No."

So he didn't know either? Well at least she wasn't the only one! Though this didn't really help her dilemma, she soon realized.

"Oh. So…are you new here too?" she asked.

"No."

Now this was even odder.

"So…you're not new to this school."

"No."

"But you don't know where the front of the school is."

"Right."

"Then where were you going?"

"Trying to find the front door of the school."

Well, that made sense. Even still, this simple conversation was wearing poor Himawari out. Could this guy get any more confusing?

"Well then…do you mind if we search together? Maybe we'll find it faster that way," the blonde suggested.

The boy stared at her silently before taking a few more steps towards her. Himawari couldn't read his face, nor figure out what he was doing or thinking. And so she stood still, waiting for a reply.

"You remind me of someone. What's your name?" he finally asked.

"Samuels Himawari," she replied.

"So you're that new American chick in Yuki's class…" the boy with bi-colored hair commented.

"Yes!" Himawari smiled, "Ayame-san's younger brother!"

"You know Ayame too?"

She was about to answer, when she thought over the question once more. Uotani Arisa had mentioned something before…

"Are you…another Sohma?" she inquired.

The boy nodded. "Sohma Hatsuharu. That's me."

Another Sohma! That made three in one day. Even if the family was supposedly a big one, Himawari felt like she was going to meet all of them in one day!

"Well Hatsuharu-san, Ayame-san is my new boss. I'll be working at his shop starting tomorrow," she stated, answering his previous question.

A thoughtful expression vaguely showed through Haru's dull stare. "Ayame's shop, huh? You're a weird one alright."

Himawari smiled and laughed softly. "That's what I'm told."

-.-

The two then began their search for the front door of the school together, sharing a light conversation with one another. Hatsuharu talked about his sense of direction (or lack of), and Himawari spoke of how she managed to receive her new job. It took about fifteen minutes before they managed to find a door that resembled what they had been searching for.

Outside, the duo was confronted with a smiling blonde boy, rocking back and forth on his feet patiently. When he turned to them, his smile grew and he ran over.

"Haru! There you are!" he yelled happily.

He was incredibly cute! Himawari couldn't help but let a smile form on her lips. Yet, he looked awfully young to be wearing the same uniform as her. Just how old was he anyways?

"I…got lost," Haru stated simply.

"That's what I thought," Momiji giggled before noticing there was someone else there. He let out a small gasp, and shifted his attention. "You must be Himawari-chan!"

Surprised and a bit taken aback, Himawari nodded. "Yes I am!"

"Oh, wonderful! Tohru told me all about you before she headed off to work. I'm so happy to meet you. I'm Sohma Momiji!"

Goodness. _Another_ Sohma? Uotani hadn't been kidding in the least!

"It's nice to meet you too, Momiji-san!" Himawari smiled back.

-.-

"So just take a turn here, and another left after that, and your house should be on that street."

"Arigatou, Momiji-san," Himawari bowed. "I don't think I would have figured my way without you.

Momiji smiled. "No problem! And I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay? Make sure to find me!"

Himawari laughed. "I will, don't worry. It was nice meeting you, Momiji-san, Hatsuharu-san!"

The two cousins gave their farewells and disappeared out of sight. Himawari took a deep breath before following the instructions Momiji had given her.

Today had certainly not turned out the way she had expected. And yet, this was the most fun she had had in a while.

OoOoO

A/N: I had a blast writing that chapter. Hopefully Haru turned out okay, I've always found it hard to write him in character.

Hopefully Himawari will be able to work tomorrow too! It'll be interesting to see how her personality fits in at the shop.

Thank you for reading!


	5. How to Prepare for the First Day of Work

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket belongs to Takaya Natsuki. …Think I have a chance at getting my name legally changed to that?

A/N: I'm so excited to see this story with as many hits as it has. I want to thank you all so much! You are, without a doubt, the inspiration to my writing. Let's see how this chapter goes. Hopefully Ayame will finally make an appearance!

**Friendly Legolas Sporker**: It seems I found a Haru fan! Ha ha ha. I love his character too, so I hope to be adding him more in the near future.

**L-chan**: I'm going to love Himawari's reaction to Ayame as well! Even when the shock is over, she'll still have many things to learn…and thank you!

**JulyPie**: And why shouldn't I mention you? I feel very honored having you review my story! Here the next chapter, so you don't have to wait any longer!

**Pigrider12**: Yes, Momiji is quite amazing, isn't he? Ha ha. Another character that I can't seem to get enough of.

And without further ado!

OoOoO

Chapter Four: How to Prepare for the First Day of Work

"And after we finally found the front door, Momiji-san was waiting for Hatsuharu-san outside…"

The second day of school was starting, and Himawari was glad to see that she would (hopefully) be having her first full day of learning at the school. The bell had yet to ring for first period to start, and so the American girl was describing yesterday afternoon's adventures to Tohru, Arisa, and Saki. Kyou was sitting behind them at his own desk, following the story yet acting like he wasn't paying attention.

Even after Himawari had gotten home yesterday, the excitement had yet to wear down. Her aunt seemed to have another panic attack like over the phone when she saw her niece, and had been fusing over the teenager all night, despite reassurances. But that was nothing new, for Himawari had always been treated like this whenever she had the chance to visit her aunt. Little did she expect to be living with her one day, however…

"Then I finally managed to find my way home. Though Momiji-san's directions were very helpful," Himawari concluded.

"I'm so sorry I didn't wait for you!" Tohru was quick to apologize once the story had ended. "I should have known you would get lost in the hallways…"

Himawari gave the brunette a warm smile. "Don't worry about it! I know work comes first. Besides, I would have never met Hatsuharu-san or Momiji-san."

"Well, that definitely explains why the pipsqueak recognized you this morning," commented Arisa with a thoughtful nod. "I was pretty sure the only Sohmas we introduced were the Prince and Carrot Top over here."

Hearing the remark made at him, Kyou tensed up and sent a death glare in her direction. "Oh shut up Yankee!"

"I have a better idea. Why don't you shut up before I pour a bucket of water on your head?"

Mayuko-sensei had come into the room, while balancing a coffee mug, briefcase, and a pile of papers, just as Kyou had decided to have an outburst. And who could possibly pass up a chance such as that?

Kyou's glanced over at his teacher, his fist instantly clenching.

"Don't even give me that look. You know very well I could, would, and will. And let's not forget I'll get away with it too."

Deciding to play it smart for once, the neko instantly shut up and sunk further into the seat he was currently occupying. A few of the boys in the class followed this by yelling out things like, "It's okay Kyon-kyon! Mayu-chan-sensei is just teasing you!"

"I thought we had already agreed on calling me Great Teacher Mayuko," the teacher stated, after chuckling under her breath at poor Kyou and placing her many belongings on her desk.

"HAI GREAT TEACHER MAYUKO!" the boys yelled out.

"Um…did she steal that title from a manga?" Himawari inquired, turning her attention from the class chaos back to her friends.

"Yes. But it's one of the more sane jokes in the class. You'll get used to it soon enough," Hanajima replied, as if this was completely normal. After all, it was. At least for their class.

-.-

"So are you finally going to be able to work at Ayame-san's shop today?" Tohru asked.

Class had only ended minutes ago, and already the group of Himawari, Tohru, Arisa, Saki, Kyou, Hatsuharu, and Momiji had assembled themselves an area on the grass of the school grounds to eat their lunch. Yuki had yet to show up from student council duties, but had mentioned earlier that morning that he would hopefully be done before lunch was over.

"Hai!" Himawari responded joyfully. "I'm not sure what I'll be doing in the store just yet…but I'll finally get to meet Ayame-san!"

"And you're happy about meeting him because why?" Kyou muttered, an eyebrow raised as he bit into an ongiri Tohru had prepared for his lunch.

Himawari paused, studying his face. Kyou had yet to speak a word directed at her until just now, and even then it wasn't the best of comments. She had been told this would happen. All she needed was patience.

"Well, he is going to be my boss from now on…" she replied softly.

Momiji, who had been sipping on the straw of his juice box, frowned at Kyou and shook his head. "Naughty Kyou, scaring poor Himawari-chan like that! Don't worry Himawari-chan, Ayame's really nice! He works to help people obtain their fantasies!"

"Their…fantasies?"

"It's a long story. But even with an odd way of doing it, at least Nii-san's intentions are pure."

Everyone turned their heads to see Yuki, standing behind the group with his lunch at hand. He looked completely exhausted. Hatsuharu took this chance to yank on the boy's pant leg and pull him into sitting next to himself. The nezumi didn't even have the chance to let out a small gasp before falling to his butt with a small thud.

"Yuki-kun!" Tohru smiled warmly. "How was council duty?"

"Twice as difficult as it should be with half of the amount of work we need to get done actually being completed," he sighed.

"That bad, eh?" Arisa commented.

Yuki let out another sigh and nodded before turning to Himawari. "But enough about that. You're starting your first day at Nii-san's today?"

"As long as I don't get anymore head injuries," Himawari giggled. "I just hope I'll be able to find the store. I've only been there once before…"

"Oh!" Tohru exclaimed. "I don't have work today! I'll come with you!"

Himawari froze right after she swallowed. "You'd…you'd really do that? I don't want to make you have to go out of your way…"

"It's no problem," Tohru reassured her. "I've wanted to visit Ayame-san and Kuramae-san for a while now, anyways!"

"I want to come too, then," Saki added. "Tohru-chan's talked about the shop from time to time. Seems like a good time to see it."

"Seems like a girls' day out sorta thing. I guess I'll tag along too then," Arisa decided.

Himawari looked from face to face of each of the girls and beamed. "Thank you…all of you!"

"I wanna go too!" Momiji, who had fallen silent after finding a lollipop that had somehow made it into his lunch, spoke up.

"Damn rabbit. Didn't you hear? It's a girl day," Kyou huffed.

"But I want to go…" Momiji whined.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?"

"But I wanna-!"

_Bam_.

"Tohru! Tohru-chan! Kyou hit me!"

"DON'T GO CRYING TO HER!"

-.-

And thus, Himawari Samuels was able to complete her first full day of class. As soon as the final bell rang, signaling the end of school, the four girls rushed out of the classroom to gather their things and head out the school. Surely the sooner they were out, the sooner they could all get to the shop!

Luckily, there weren't too many difficulties getting their either. Tohru had forgotten that she too had only been to the shop on one other occasion. Between her and Himawari, however, they managed to find the little shop with ease. That…and the directions that Himawari had written out on her wrist. Those were rather helpful too.

"Seriously though. Why didn't you just write them down on a piece of paper?" Arisa asked, referring to the ink all over Himawari's wrist.

"I was running late this morning! I don't think straight when I'm being rushed."

"This is a quant little shop, isn't it?" Hanajima interrupted, nodding towards the small building in front of them. Everyone seemed to agree.

Tohru just smiled at her friends, content to see that everyone was getting along. "Well then, shall we head inside?"

"Allow me," Himawari bowed before opening the door for the others.

The four girls filed into the shop. Once the door was closed, the many sights that had taken away Himawari's breath the first time she had visited filled their view. The blonde girl could feel her heart beating faster once again. How exciting to be back!

"Himawari-chan, is that you?" a female voice called out.

"Hai, Kuramae-san! I'm here!"

"Ah, is that the precious Himawari-chan that I have heard so much about? The very one who has given up her precious time to help work at my humble abode I happen to call my very own shop, the very one that was unable to work yesterday because of a head injury caused by none other than the brash Kyon-kichi?"

The four girls could hear another voice in the back of the shop where they had heard Kuramae's voice from. This time it was a male voice, and undoubtedly the very voice that belonged to the one and only Sohma Ayame.

A door that stated 'employees only' in the back of the store was suddenly pushed open with full force to reveal a figure. The figure had long flowing locks of silver that seemed to blow with the momentum of the swing from the door. None other than Ayame stood in the doorway, wearing a gorgeous gown of light lavender, with fake flowers of blue, pink, and purple sewn in.

It was a marvelous dress that fit his body and look perfectly. But the question now was…why was he wearing this?

Not seeming to realize (or perhaps to care) that he was wearing this dress in front of four teenage girls, the man rushed towards all of them, fixing his eyes on the girl that fit Kuramae's description of Samuels-san.

"Why, indeed it is!" he smiled with glee. "Himawari-chan has arrived!"

Completely stunned by the longest few seconds she had ever felt, Himawari could do nothing in response, but stand dumbstruck. Was…this normal too?

"Oh! And it seems you have not only brought the cherished little Tohru-chan, but two other friends as well!"

Tohru smiled politely at Ayame. "Nice to see you again!" she greeted.

Arisa and Saki nodded and exchanged greetings as well. But Himawari couldn't find herself to move. Japan…Japan was a very strange place. Would she ever get used to it?

OoOoO

A/N: Ah! I'm so happy to have gotten Ayame in there! If even for a little bit. I truly love his character, even when I find it incredibly hard to capture in words. He's so eccentric! Anyhoo, thank you so much for reading through my fourth chapter and sticking with me and my story! (And I apologize for the long wait. Holidays are a busy time of year!)

And one last thing. It's come to my attention that I have yet to figure out pairings for my story. I hadn't really planned on messing with the canon pairings, but what do you think? Should Himawari stay single?


	6. How to Greet Your Boss

Disclaimer: I promise you if you tried to sue me, you'd probably only get a big bag of jolly ranchers out of it. So I wouldn't even bother.

A/N: Wow! It's been a while since I've been able to update. It's amazing how easy it is to become extremely busy. I hope no one's been dying of anticipation! I'm so glad to finally get Ayame in the story now, finally.

**Gem Of The Stars**: thank you for your review! Here is the update you asked for

**Pigrider12**: I'm sorry to hear about your current position, although you probably won't even get to see this. Stay strong!

**Sparkypony**: Oh no! A DISGUISE! Ha ha. Don't worry about me rushing anything, that's the last thing I'd want to do!

**xXTakXx**: Ha ha, thank you! And yes, I'll definitely be looking to have more Momiji in the story.

And thus, the next chapter!

OoOoO

Chapter Five: How to Greet Your Boss

"Samuels-san?"

"Is she okay?"

"I believe she has gone into a state of shock…"

"AH HA HA HA HA! Himawari-chan is so amazed, she has become speechless!"

"Sir, I don't think that's a good thing…"

Himawari had been stuck in the position of standing near the doorway with wide open eyes for at least three minutes by then. She was unable to move or speak, no matter how hard she tried. Shocked was an understatement of how she felt at the moment.

What was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to pretend that her employer wearing a dress was normal? Was she supposed to be concerned for his life? Or was she supposed to ignore it? No matter how she looked at it, no answers seemed to come to mind.

"Oh dear," Mine tsked. "Perhaps Himawari-chan should head home for the day if she isn't feeling well…"

That was what snapped the blonde out of her state. The last thing she wanted to do was be sent home after finally meeting her boss! No matter what he was wearing.

"No, no! I'm okay, I promise," Himawari finally stuttered out in response.

"Ah, she's alright!" Tohru exclaimed happily.

"We thought we lost you there for a moment," Arisa added. Saki merely nodded in agreement.

"No…I'm okay," Himawari repeated herself.

She then turned towards Ayame, bowing politely and staring at the ground. "I'm…I am Samuels Himawari, and I'm honored to work for you, Sohma-san…"

Ayame smiled and laughed again for the sake of doing so. "My, our Himawari-chan is so polite! What a wonder our little shop will be from now on!"

"But, if I may ask…" she continued, "…is there a particular reason you happen to be wearing a dress?"

Ayame studied Himawari's face for a moment. Is that why she had been so shocked earlier? Working at a store such as this, she would have to get used to it pretty quickly.

"Well, it's quite simple, really. The man who ordered this was about my size. So I used my measurements to make the dress!"

Himawari blinked, and stared at the dress with a blank face. "The dress…is for a man?"

-.-

After Himawari narrowly escaped going into shock again, Ayame went into the back of the store to dress into his normal clothes, but not before asking Mine to find a uniform for the new employee. Tohru, Saki, and Arisa began looking around the shop as Mine and Himawari started going through the clothes they had on hand.

"We'll be able to get customized outfits for you once we get your measurements," Mine explained, fishing through some nurse outfits to see if she could find one that would both fit and suit Himawari. "But it's good to see you've become friends with Tohru-chan!"

Himawari smiled and nodded. "We're in the same class at school. She's been very kind to me, accepting me into her circle of friends."

Mine smiled and nodded knowingly. That was Tohru alright, looking out for the new students.

"Now, what kind of uniform do I wear anyways? Something like your maid outfit?" Himawari asked.

Mine shook her head. "It's whatever you want to wear. But you have to look cute and resemble the store. It helps the customers get an idea of what we can offer them."

Himawari nodded and wandered closer to the front counter. She wasn't even sure of what kind of outfit she would want! Back at home, she had usually just been a t-shirt and jeans sort of girl. And now that she was getting a chance to wear frilly little dresses, she was starting to get a little uneasy.

The girl's eyes drifted across the many accessories hung on the wall until she found something in particular. Walking closer to it, she picked it off the wall and smiled.

"Persocom ears! No way!"

Being so excited, Himawari had shouted out in English, causing the four other girls in the store to turn her way. However, Himawari didn't notice, for she was too busy trying the ears on and seeing how they looked in the mirror.

"Himawari-chan, do you like manga?" Mine asked.

Himawari smiled and nodded. "I used to read it all the time back in New York!"

Ayame suddenly burst out of the back room after hearing the last part of the conversation. Seeing Himawari in the persocom ears, he smiled with shining eyes.

"ALAS!" he exclaimed, "We shall make Himawari-chan a cosplayer! That shall be what she wears from now on as her uniform?"

Himawari turned from the mirror and towards Ayame. A cosplayer? She had always wanted to try cosplaying…but she had never imagined this situation!

"Mine, get this girl a sailor fuku and the Chii hair clips! She'll wear that for today. Then we'll get her measurements so I can have her first uniform ready by tomorrow!"

-.-

After changing her outfit, Himawari was amazed with what she saw in the mirror. With new clothes and a new hair style, she almost felt like Chii! Her friends had to pry her away from the mirror to let Mine measure her.

Measuring went by fast and easily, and Ayame managed to grab the papers right when they were finished so he could start creating his new 'masterpiece'.

"Now," Mine spoke as she put her measuring tape away, "Do you have any experience of dealing with customers, Himwari-chan?"

"Well…I was a waitress for a little while back in New York," she replied. "But I don't think that's the same kind of customer service.

"Hmm…" Mine brought a thoughtful hand up to her chin. "We should probably have you practice a bit before actually working with the customers."

Hearing this, Tohru, Arisa, and Saki suddenly gained interest in the conversation.

"Practice, huh?" Arisa commented.

"Oh, I'd love to help you guys out!" Tohru cried out happily, clasping her hands together.

"I suppose it would give me something to do…" Saki added.

Himawari looked at each of her friends and smiled. "Thank you guys so much!"

-.-

After an hour or so of training for Himawari, Tohru, Saki, and Arisa needed to return home and said their farewells. Ayame, who had been rushing back and forth between the back room and studying Himawari had called Mine into the back after they left. Because the store was quiet, Ayame had given Himawari permission to leave for the day.

Himawari was grabbing her school uniform from behind the front counter when the sound of the door opening and closing and single pair of footsteps could be heard. Assuming it was a customer, Himawari immediately stood up from behind the counter with a smile on her face.

However, she was surprised to be confronted with the sight of one Yuki Sohma walking in. Nevertheless, she ran over to greet him.

"Yuki-san!" she called out. "What brings you here?"

Yuki kept glancing every which way until Himawari spoke towards him, in which he turned to her with a polite smile. "Hello, Samuels-san. I was actually coming to pick Honda-san up. Is she still here?"

Himawari shook her head. "She left about ten minutes ago. You should have come across her on the way here unless she got lost. Though that is awfully sweet of you to come out of your way to pick her up!"

Yuki thought over the situation and nodded. "Or she might have gone somewhere with Uotani-san or Hanajima-san," he thought aloud. "Seems I came all the way out here for nothing, however. Thank you for your help, Samuels-san."

The boy bowed and was about to leave when Himawari interrupted him. "But Yuki-san! I-if you can wait a couple of minutes, I'm off work. I can change and walk home with you."

The silver haired boy was surprised, but smiled all the same. "I would be honored to accompany you home."

OoOoO

A/N: Again, I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out soon. I still haven't decided anything romantically wise for Himawari, so please keep sending in your ideas/opinions. Thank you!


	7. How to Do a Good Deed

Disclaimer: Has anyone seen how handsome everyone got by volume nineteen

Disclaimer: Has anyone seen how handsome everyone got by volume nineteen? Dx If these characters were mine, I'd be keeping them to myself…

A/N: I forgot how involved one's school play can be. If I'm not dancing or acting, I'm covered in sawdust! At any rate, I was finally able to break free long enough to write this chapter…

**Friendly Legolas Sporker**: Yes, I apologize for that. This one also took a bit, but not nearly as long!

**OutcastLover**: Thank you! That's also what I was thinking, though I'm still indecisive about it.

**Mew Mai**: Ah, a Mary-Sue lover! Ha ha. Thanks so much! I might through a little Yuki's way. We'll just have to see what happens.

Without further ado!

OoOoO

Chapter Six: How to Do a Good Deed

Himawari was changed in a matter of minutes. Leaving her uniform neatly folded on the counter, she was about to should a farewell to Mine and Ayame before she turned to Yuki.

"Don't you at least want to say hello to your brother?" she asked.

Yuki smiled but shook his head. "I'd rather…not."

Though she was confused, Himawari didn't push the discussion. Nodding, Himawari turned back towards the back of the store, shouting a goodbye.

"Bye Himawari-chan!" Mine's voice could be heard.

"AH HA HA HA HA! Make sure you show up promptly tomorrow to receive your new uniform!" Ayame added.

Smiling, Himawari turned back to Yuki. Yuki opened the door out and gestured for the blonde to exit. Bowing her head respectfully, Himawari preceded out after her first day of work with her boss.

The first few minutes of the walk were rather silent. Himawari kept trying to decipher whether it was an awkward silence than needed to be broken or a comfortable silence where she was just supposed to enjoy the other presence. However, whenever she peeked over at Yuki's face, all she saw was the solemn expression that didn't break.

"So…." Yuki finally spoke, relieving the stressed Himawari from her investigation, "how do you like your new life so far?"

"It's wonderful!" Himawari exclaimed happily. "You all have been so kind to me, and Sohma-san is such a wonderful boss! And Oba-san has always been like another mother to me as it is."

"That's fabulous," Yuki smiled in his princely manner. The smile embarrassed Himwari slightly, and the girl looked down to the street ahead as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

However, the girl missed seeing the black cat that was running across the sidewalk, and ended up tripping over the poor thing. The cat gave off a small, surprised mew.

"Ah!" Himawari squeaked, stumbling a few steps forward before turning back to see what happened. "Neko-san! I'm so sorry!"

But by then, the cat had already scampered off. Yuki shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Samuels-san. It was just a stupid cat."

Yuki's words went unheard by Himawari's ears. Realizing the cat hadn't been there to hear her apology, the girl quickly starting sprinting after the feline.

Stunned and confused, Yuki quickly followed her, shouting her name.

"Samuels-san! What are you doing?"

"I have to apologize!" was all she responded with.

"But it's just an alley cat!"

Himawari had already turned a corner by then. Yuki paused for a moment long enough to let out a sigh before following her once more. What was possibly going on through that girl's mind was beyond him. Somehow this strange behavior reminded him of Honda-san. Taking outrageous little things to the extreme like this.

The nezumi finally caught up with the girl beside an abandoned building. She was done on all fours on a patch of grass, trying to catch her breath. The ever-so-fit Yuki continued walking over to her, breathing pattern completely normal.

"Mind explaining what this was all about, Samuels-san?" he asked once reaching her side.

Himawari remained panting in the grass, but pointed towards the side of the building. Yuki looked over. There was a small, dark hole in the side of the building. Approaching the hole, Yuki bent over to glance inside.

The silver-haired boy couldn't believe his eyes. Inside the hole was a small nest made of old clothing and grass where five kittens lay mewing. The mother was the black cat from earlier, who was feeding her litter the food she had found moments before.

Yuki was stunned. Standing back up, he turned back to Himawari who was just starting grasp her breath.

"You knew about this, Samuels-san?" he inquired curiously.

Himawari shook her head and plopped down into a sitting position in the grass. "I just wanted to apologize to the Neko-san. But this is what I came across."

"Why were you trying to apologize in the first place?"

The girl froze. After a few moments, she smiled up at him uncomfortably before responding with, "I just…feel bad when I don't get to apologize is all." Yuki didn't believe her, but decided it was best to bring it up at a later time.

"But we need to do something about this, Yuki-san!" Himawari continued. "We can't just allow them to live like this! They need homes where they can be taken care of properly!"

Help alley cats? That was beyond Yuki. He stared at the girl, bewildered. Again, she was reminding him of Honda-san! It was something she would say if she had ended up in the same situation. Was there no end to their similarities?

Not knowing what to do in the silence, Himawari started to plead. "Will you help me, Yuki-san? I don't know any of the pet stores around her that could help us…"

Yuki glanced a few times between the girl and the hole in the building. After a few more moments, the boy gave out a defeated sigh.

"I don't think the mother will let you near her kittens, though…" he responded.

"That's no problem!" Himawari smiled, assuming that was a 'yes' from the prince. "We'll gain her trust! And once she trusts us, we'll take her and the kittens to the pet store where they can be taken care of!"

Yuki was unsure if pet stores would even think about taking in alley cats. Even still, he could at least help out the girl to the best of his ability.

"Then I suppose we should get started," he smiled.

Himawari shot to her feet, her face glowing with excitement. "Oh, thank you so much Yuki-san! Thank you so much!"

The girl began to bow like crazy. Yuki laughed softly and nodded.

The two started into the town, searching for pet shops. The first two said they couldn't take in alley cats because it would be too much hassle, the third stated it was too full, and the fourth one had already closed by the time they reached it.

Himawari refused to give up. She apologized to Yuki after every store, and the prince continued to reassure her everything was okay, and that his homework had already been finished. Just about the time the two were about to turn it in for the night, they came across a veterinarian office.

"Do you think veterinarians would take in stray cats?" Himawari asked.

"Only one way to find out," Yuki answered, trying to act hopeful for the determined girl.

Nodding in agreement, Himawari led the way into the building. Inside, Himawari was confronted with the sight of a single owner sitting on a bench towards the left of the waiting room, patiently sitting with her rabbit in a cage. A vet behind the front counter watched the two teenagers walked in and smiled warmly at them.

"Welcome! Are you here to arrange an appointment?"

"No, actually," Himawari shook her head. "I found a stray cat and her kittens a while ago, and I was wondering if you would be able to take them in. I feel awful just leaving them out there…"

The vet's face was full of emotion as she looked Himawari in the eyes. "Well, bless your soul," she smiled. "We'll gladly take them in! Where did you find them, now?"

Yuki described the area. The vet nodded, and spoke about gaining the felines' trust before bringing them over. Himawari and Yuki agreed, and took a business card and left after Himawari thanked her graciously.

"No, thank you! It's good to see animal lovers out there," the vet stated.

After leaving, Himawari turned to Yuki, excitement written all over her face. "We did it, Yuki-san! We did it!"

"Only half of 'it'," he corrected her, "there's still a matter of gaining their trust and getting them to the veterinarian office…"

"I'm sure that won't be too big of a deal," she reassured him. "But don't you worry about that! I can do that part! You've already done so much for me!"

Yuki smiled. "Nonsense, I'll help any way I can."

For Himawari, of course. Yuki reminded himself that. There was no way he was doing this for the kittens. It was simply to help out the girl. Besides, it's what Honda-san would have wanted.

OoOoO

A/N: I had been picturing this scene in my head for a while, and I finally got to bring it in! Unfortunately it took me an entire chapter to do so. But fear not, for the others will be coming back in next chapter!

Ja Ne!


	8. How to Help a Friend

Disclaimer: Do you really not get it yet? This whole thing makes me feel awfully repetitive….but no. I don't own Fruits Basket.

A/N: Yeah, I'm aware how long it has been since my last update. . Things have been busy, between a spring musical, a one act play, finals, etc etc. But I haven't died off yet! Himawari still has many adventures to behold. So here we go!

**Friendly Legolas Sporker: **I always hate reading fanfics that have spoilers for late in the series when I'm behind. So I try to keep that in mind when I write my own.

**Love's Labour's Won:** Yes, I see why you would say that. Yuki only saw a small version of Himawari's obsession with apologizing, so he compared it to the cuteness of Tohru. Now, if it had been more violent, or Yuki had been Kyou, yes, she probably would have been compared to Ritsu. xD

**Mew Mai: **Right now, the only thing that probably attracts Yuki to Himawari is the fact that she's so much like Tohru. But you never know what may happen. .

**Katrina Tora: **Ha ha! I wish I could find persocom ears too. Himawari will just have to live out the dream for the both of us. And thanks for the suggestion.

And on to the story!

OoOoO

Chapter Seven: How to Help a Friend

When she returned home that night, Himawari's aunt practically jumped the poor girl. She had millions of questions, from what had taken her so long, to how school was, to how her new job was. After managing to calm the woman down, Himawari got the chance to explain her day in detail over dinner before going up to her room to start on homework.

Homework in Japan was a nightmare. In New York, Himawari had been considered one of the smartest pupils in school. In Japan, even with her knowledge of Japanese history and the Japanese language, Himawari was just making average. How did the students stand it here? If Himawari had to deal with this sort of pressure when she was younger, she surely would have burst. Trying to not let herself get overwhelmed, the girl started on her homework as soon as possible and worked to the early hours of the morning.

That night, Himawari didn't get much sleep. For by the time she had finally managed to get to bed, she only had about three hours before she had to get up again. That particular morning, the girl was setting out early. She had planned to get a head start on her new friendship with the alley cat, and felt that a few supplies might be needed. Unfortunately, she only had time to get said supplies before school, for if she pulled what she had the night previous again, she wouldn't be able to get up the next morning.

After getting ready for the day and dressed in her uniform, Himawari explained her agenda to her aunt (so she wouldn't have another spazz attack) and left the house. The air outside was fresh and crisp, and the wind a little chilly. Though Himawari couldn't say she was a morning person in the least, she did appreciate the nice weather she had been granted. Himawari took in a deep breath of the fresh air and smiled. Perhaps today would turn out to be nice! She could only hope so.

Retracing the steps she had taken the night before, Himawari easily found the shopping center Yuki and her had explored while looking for a pet shop to take the alley cat and her kittens in. Though surprised to find most of the shops closed (which was practically unheard of back in her home city), the girl found that the grocery store was open and eagerly ran inside.

It was strange having to read so much Japanese so early in the morning! Himawari's poor mind took twice as long as usual to translate it all to English. Finding a small section of the store dedicated to family pets, the girl smiled to herself and looked around for the cat food. Once she found it, she could hardly believe her eyes. There were so many different brands! There was wet and dry, some had many different flavors, some were meant for kittens, others for senior cats… How was she supposed to choose?

"Can I help you miss?"

"AH!"

Himawari, who had started to panic since she knew nothing about cats and their food, was surprised to hear the voice behind her so suddenly, and jumped a few inches in the air as she sprung around. The employee, who had been unpacking some things when he saw Himawari in a state and decided to help, was frightened by Himawari's reaction and stumbled back a step or two.

"G-gomen," Himawari stuttered, bowing apologetically.

The employee laughed it off, saying everything was alright. "Were you having trouble with something?"

Himawari nodded. "I need to buy some cat food, but I'm not sure which kind I should get…"

"Well," the employee started, "How old is the cat?"

"It's…a mother and her kittens…"

"Oh!" the employee stated, surprised and interested. "That changes things a bit. If the kittens aren't still feeding on mother milk, you'll want to get some kitten food for the kittens, obviously. They should have dry food out at all times and wet food twice a day. The mother will be fine with just dry food, so long as there is plenty of water."

Himawari focused on his words, translating them carefully in her exhausted mind. "I…believe the kittens are old enough to eat. Is there a brand that you suggest?"

After explaining to Himawari that she needed to pick out a food that leveled carbohydrates and protein just right, the two set about picking out a good brand of dry food, some bowls, and getting a giant container of water that would keep the felines hydrated for around a week.

"So long as the cats are plenty hydrated, you should be fine without wet food for now," the employee explained.

"Thank you so much for your help," Himawari bowed while carefully balancing her things so none of them would be dropped.

After exchanging a few more words, Himawari then bought her things and left the store. There was something about carrying the bags of her goods that gave the girl a feeling of accomplishment, and Himawari couldn't help but smile to herself as she left the store.

"Samuels-san!"

"Hmm?"

Hearing her name, Himawari curiously peered around her, her eyes finally settling on a pig-tailed girl about her age staring right at her, a hand on her hip. Who was this girl? She looked familiar, but it was hard to tell…

"It's Kinoshita Minami, from class 2A…"

"Oh, Kinoshita-san! Hello!"

Once the name was spoken, Himawari placed her instantly. She held the second year representation position in some sort of fanclub. Uotani and Hanajima had seemed amused when speaking of it.

Minami pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows. "Word on the street is that you went on a date with Prince Yuki last night."

Prince…Yuki? Oh, that was right. It had been a Prince Yuki fanclub. The idea was still mind-boggling, but that was something to ponder over later. But really, a date? Sure, she had been with Yuki the previous night. How had word gotten out so fast anyways?

Himawari smiled politely and shook her head. "The rumor is false. Yuki-san was merely helping me find a store that I needed. That is all."

"But the fact that you were with Prince Yuki alone is horrible enough in itself!" Minami countered, her voice starting to raise. "No girl should ever-!"

"Himawari-chan!"

Both girls turned their attention to towards the other side of the street, one curious who had called her name, the other peeved that she had been interrupted. On the other side of the street, two familiar faces could be seen. One was smiling brightly and madly waving while the other stared dully in the girls' direction and nodded.

Himawari smiled and waved back. "Momiji-san! Hatsuharu-san!"

Minami glared and nearly growled at the two arriving Sohmas. Though one look at Hatsuharu, and the Yuki fan knew not to mess with anyone at the moment.

"This isn't the last you've heard of me, Samuels-san!" she yelled before running off.

Momiji, who had ran over to Himawari just as Minami was running off, nearly jumped the poor girl, but stopped himself just before doing so. "Himawari-chan, was that a friend of yours?"

Himawari giggled and shook her head. "Not exactly. But what are you and Hatsuharu-san doing here, Momiji-san?"

"Haru was accompanying me to the candy shop!" Momiji replied, obviously giddy as he showed off his goodies. "What's in your bag?"

The blonde looked down at the cat supplies in her bags. "Say, Momiji-san? What do you and Hatsuharu-san think about cats?"

-.-

Seeing as they had enough time, Himawari showed Haru and Momiji the alley cat's hideout. The mother cat and her kittens were where she had left them, though the mother was a little suspicious of the humans' intentions. Momiji and Haru stayed a safe distance away while Himawari spoke softly to the felines as she set up the food.

"Don't you worry, kittens. No one here is going to harm you. I'm just setting up food and water, alright? That way you'll have a steady food supply. And I might even bring toys later! Wouldn't you like that?"

"She seems really sweet with animals," Momiji whispered quietly to Haru, who nodded in response. "She's so cute when she talks to them!"

"I wonder what Kyou would say if he saw this…" Haru stated, earning a thoughtful look from his cousin.

Himawari, after finishing her work, stood up and brushed the dirt off her knees before turning to the two boys. "Sorry for taking up your time. But thank you so much for coming!"

"We weren't in a rush to get to school or anything," Haru pointed out.

Momiji and Himawari giggled together. "Though we probably should start heading to school now so we won't be late," Himawari noted.

"Then let's go!" Momiji smiled, taking Himawari's hand.

OoOoO

A/N: Ah ha! For all of you who wanted to see a little more of Hatsuharu and Momiji, there they are! Coming to poor Himawari's rescue! Again, I apologize for the long wait. Now that summer has started, I'm sure you won't be waiting so long for replies.

Ja ne!


	9. How to Make Plans

Disclaimer: I got the twentieth book a few days ago! (Which is totally weird, since I thought it didn't come out until August, and it's clearly still July.) Though if I owned Fruits Basket, I would have seen those plot twists coming…

A/N: Wow guys! Over a thousand hits! –bows- I can't thank all my fans and readers enough for getting me this far! I'd bake you all cookies, but that may take a while…so who likes lollipops in the meantime?

**Mew Mai:** I usually try to title my chapters after I write them so they will fit. But who knows…? Well, 'cept me of course. Though I'm not telling yet. ;D

**Katrina Tora:** Glad to see your excitement! Hee. And what can I say? I love the kittens. Don't worry, you'll be seeing plenty of them. .

**Friendly Legolas Sporker****:** Ouch, really? That's why when people ask me if I want to move to Japan…I say after my schooling career maybe!

And here we go!

OoOoO

Chapter Eight: How to Make Plans

After that morning's events, Himawari was slightly worried about how class would turn out when she had no choice but to at least see Minami, if not interact with her in some shape or form. To her relief, the pig-tailed girl acted as nothing had happened. Or at least she didn't confront her about anything. Himawari was too worried (and perhaps a little too frightened) to even glance in her direction, afraid she might find some evil, cursing glare looking straight at her.

The others were aware that something was amiss with their new friend, but Himawari reassured everyone that she was okay. That was, however, until Saki decided to finally show up for class, commented on how the American's waves were a little off that day, and left the blonde at the mercy of Arisa's questioning and Tohru's worried expressions.

"No, really," Himawari persisted, "I'm just tired, is all."

Arisa raised an eyebrow and parted her lips to counter back, but was interrupted by the bell signaling the beginning of class.

'_I can't believe I was actually saved by the bell. That sort of thing seems to only happen in movies and books,'_ thought Himawari, an amused smile crossing her face as the teacher began to speak.

With everyone's attention on Mayuko, Himawari dared a glance in Minami's direction finally. The girl had full attention to the front of the classroom, but felt the pair of eyes on her and quickly turned in Himawari's direction. The blonde's eyes grew wide, too surprised by the quick reaction to look away.

The two locked eyes, both daring the other to be the first to look away. Not wanting to crack under the pressure, Himawari willed herself to keep eye contact.

_'Don't let her frighten you...'_

Even saying that, Himawari could still feel a drop of cold sweat forming on her forehead.

"Kinoshita Minami."

"Present!"

Hearing her name for role call, Minami's attention snapped towards the front of the classroom once more. Himawari let out a sigh of relief, letting her body relax and sunk quietly in her chair. The atmosphere was suddenly much lighter, now that she thought about it…

"Something happen between you and that girl?"

After letting her guard completely down, Himawari jumped slightly at the voice behind her and spun around to see a familiar set of maroon eyes staring into hers. Though the boy's face held its usual frown, his eyes held a slight curiosity in them.

'_Kyou-san…he spoke to me again! Though why now of all times…?'_

Realizing Kyou was waiting for a response, Himawari finally nodded reluctantly. "We had a…small encounter this morning. It's a long story…"

"Samuels Himawari."

"I'm listening!" Himawari squeaked, turning quickly towards the front of the classroom.

The class all turned in the girl's direction, interested in what she had been up to that had caused the reaction.

"I…I mean here," Himawari corrected herself softly, blushing embarrassingly. The class snickered as she sunk into her seat once more.

-.-

"So…let me get this straight. Basically everything that happened to you this morning was because of Yuki, am I right?" Arisa questioned.

It was lunch time again, and the gang sat outside in their usual spot underneath the biggest tree on campus. After Himawari's outburst, everyone practically jumped her after class to find out what was on the girl's mind. Himawari saved the story for lunch, when everyone was together and had free time to listen to her tale.

"Damn straight everything is his fault," Kyou spat out.

"B-but…but if I hadn't left too early, Yuki-san would have been able to walk me home like he meant to!" Tohru insisted. "This is all my fault!"

"Honda-san, everything's okay," Himawari replied, trying to calm her poor friend down. "It was simply a misunderstanding, is all."

"I'm so sorry about all of this," Yuki frowned. "I didn't think this would happen…."

"Really! It's all okay…"

A small silence fell over the group. Everyone was left to personal thoughts as they ate until Saki spoke up with, "Samuels-san…are you working again today?"

Himawari swallowed her bite of sandwich before replying. "Hai! I usually have Wednesdays off, but because of my accident on Monday, I decided to make it up today."

"Wednesdays off, of all days? That's out of the blue," Arisa commented.

"Not just Wednesdays," Himawari giggled. "I have Fridays and Sundays off too."

"Oh…but not Saturdays?" Tohru asked.

Himawari shook her head. "Unfortunately not. Why?"

"Well…I was thinking, if I can get Shigure-san's permission of course, that maybe you, Uo-chan, Hana-chan, and I can have a sleepover Saturday night as a little welcoming party," Tohru explained, blushing at the idea she found silly.

"Hey, another sleepover? I like the sound of that!" Arisa grinned.

"It does sound like it could turn out…interesting…" Saki nodded.

"Wha? Four girls in the house? Hell no!" Kyou yelled.

"Oh, be quiet you idiot," Yuki frowned. "I think it sounds like a nice idea."

Himawari let the conversation around her sink in, trying to understand what was being said. Realizing she was lost, she finally spoke up.

"Honda-san…do you…live with Kyou-san?"

Everyone turned in the girls direction. Realizing this, Himawari turned a slight shade of pink. "Did I ask something wrong?"

"Oh, Samuels-san! I guess this really never came up. I'm sorry I didn't explain earlier!" Tohru apologized, bowing her head. "After some family and renovation issues, I came to live with Kyou-kun, Yuki-san, and their cousin Shigure-san."

After a little more explanation and conversation, it was decided that a sleepover at Shigure's house was very possible that Saturday night, despite Kyou's complaints. At hearing this, Momiji had invited himself to come along. However, after Kyou's yelling and Yuki's comments on how the house would already be crowded enough, Momiji was left out.

"Alright! That's settled then!" Himawari smiled.

Suddenly her plans for later that week were looking bright.

-.-

Upon arriving to work that afternoon, Himawari was too caught up in her thoughts of what she should do in order to prepare for Saturday that she nearly had a heart attack when she was jumped by an overly excited Mine.

"Himawari-chan! You have to see it!" she insisted, tugging the girl towards the back of the store.

"S-see what?" Himawari stuttered as she let herself be dragged, surprised by the welcome.

"Your new uniform of course!"

"AH HA HA HA HA! Himawari-chan has arrived once more to offer her time and soul to work towards helping people around Japan reach their fantasies!"

Ayame revealed himself as the two females came to a stop. Himawari bowed and gave a polite hello as Mine joined her boss' side.

"Now, dear Himawari-chan, you shall now start your debut as my shop's cosplaying employee, taking the very breathe out of every man who even dares to take a step inside! Behold, my first creation for you!" Pulling the curtain towards the back rooms of the store, Ayame revealed a hanging costume.

Himawari's eyes shone. "It's…it's Full Moon's debut clothing!"

In front of Himawari hung a real life version of the outfit a character by the name of Mitsuki Koyama wore during her debut as the singer Full Moon in the anime Full Moon wo Sagashite. It consisted of a light blue v-neck with a collar and long sleeved jacket-top, which ended at the midriff, a sort of suspender-looking fashion between the top and bottom, and light blue pants straight-legged pants. The sleeves, bottom of the jacket, and top of the pants were given a woolish appearance to them. And lastly, the outfit was complete with a white, fuzzy scrunchy to tie her hair up in.

"You know of it!" Mine smiled.

"Of course our dear Himawari-chan has! My sources said that the manga was a popular shojo manga over in the United States!"

Himawari bowed several times over, thanking both Ayame and Mine before running off to change into her uniform.

OoOoO

A/N: And thus, another chapter ends. I was hoping to get a little more in, but the school day lasted longer than expected. Then again…Himawari's adventure at work will probably take up another chapter in itself at this rate! And as for Himawari's uniform…if you don't already know what it looks like and are curious, check out the manga (either book one or two, can't remember which) or the seventh episode of the anime. Hope you all enjoyed.


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